Interposer substrate, semiconductor structure and fabricating process thereof

ABSTRACT

Described herein are interposer substrate designs for warpage control, semiconductor structures including said interposer substrates, and fabricating processes thereof. An interposer substrate defines a cavity and further includes a reinforcement structure, wherein the reinforcement structure is used to control warpage of the semiconductor package structure.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates, in general, to interposer substratedesign for Package-on-Package (PoP) structures, and, more specifically,interposer substrate design including reinforcement of the interposersubstrate, and fabrication thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

There is continued demand for miniaturization, weight reduction,improved performance, improved reliability and lower cost in electronicproducts, and particularly so for mobile phones and wearableelectronics. Correspondingly, packaging improvements such assystem-on-chip (SoC) have been developed. SoC integrates multiplefunctionalities at the chip level; however, the design and testing ofSoC packages are relatively difficult, and SoC manufacturing isrelatively high cost and low yield. Therefore, there is a continuingdrive to develop other types of multiple functional integrationtechnologies with increased circuit density, ones that are relativelyinexpensive, easy to manufacture, and use standard configurations andcomponents.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an interposer substrate including areinforcement structure to control warpage of the interposer substrate,to maintain the planarity of the interposer substrate and to reinforcethe interposer substrate.

An embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to an interposersubstrate, comprising: a first core layer; a first conductive layer on afirst side of the interposer substrate and comprising a plurality offirst pads; a second conductive layer on a second side of the interposersubstrate and comprising a plurality of second pads, wherein the secondside of the interposer substrate is opposite the first side of theinterposer substrate; a plurality of conductive vias electricallyconnecting the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer;and a reinforcement structure in the interposer substrate, where theinterposer substrate defines a cavity.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to aninterposer substrate, comprising: a core layer; a first conductive layeron a first side of the interposer substrate and comprising a pluralityof first pads; a second conductive layer on a second side of theinterposer substrate and comprising a plurality of second pads; aplurality of conductive vias electrically connecting the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer; a first insulatinglayer on the first side of the interposer substrate, wherein the firstinsulating layer defines a plurality of openings to expose the pluralityof first pads; a second insulating layer on the second side of theinterposer substrate, wherein the second insulating layer defines aplurality of openings to expose the plurality of second pads; and theinterposer substrate defines a cavity, wherein the second insulatinglayer and the cavity are on the same side of the interposer substrate,and a ratio of a thickness of the first insulating layer to a thicknessof the second insulating layer is less than one.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a process offabricating an interposer substrate, comprising: (a) providing acarrier; (b) forming a protrusion on the carrier; (c) forming a corelayer on the protrusion and the carrier, wherein the core layer has afirst surface and a second surface; (d) removing the carrier; (e)forming a first conductive layer on the first surface of the core layerand forming a second conductive layer on the second surface of the corelayer, wherein the first conductive layer includes a plurality of firstpads and the second conductive layer includes a plurality of secondpads; and (f) removing at least a portion of the protrusion to form acavity in the core layer.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to asemiconductor structure comprising: a base substrate having a firstsurface including a plurality of base substrate pads thereon; aninterposer substrate comprising: a first core layer, a first conductivelayer on a first side of the interposer substrate and comprising aplurality of first pads, a second conductive layer on a second side ofthe interposer substrate and comprising a plurality of second pads, aplurality of conductive vias electrically connecting the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer, and a reinforcementstructure in the interposer substrate, wherein the interposer substratedefines a cavity, wherein at least one of the first and the second padsis electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of basesubstrate pads; and a semiconductor device is positioned at leastpartially within the cavity between the base substrate and theinterposer substrate.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to asemiconductor structure comprising: a base substrate having a firstsurface including a plurality of base substrate pads thereon; aninterposer substrate comprising: a core layer, a first conductive layeron a first side of the interposer substrate and comprising a pluralityof first pads, a second conductive layer on a second side of theinterposer substrate and comprising a plurality of second pads, aplurality of conductive vias electrically connecting the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer, a first insulatinglayer on the first side of the interposer substrate, wherein the firstinsulating layer defines a plurality of openings to expose the pluralityof first pads, a second insulating layer on the second side of theinterposer substrate, wherein the second insulating layer defines aplurality of openings to expose the plurality of second pads, whereinthe interposer substrate defines a cavity, wherein the second insulatinglayer and the cavity are on the same side of the interposer substrate,and a ratio of a thickness of the first insulating layer to a thicknessof the second insulating layer is less than one, and wherein at leastone of the first pads and the second pads is electrically coupled to atleast one of the plurality of base substrate pads; and a semiconductordevice is positioned at least partially within the cavity between thebase substrate and the interposer substrate.

Other aspects and embodiments of the disclosure have also beencontemplated. The summary and detailed descriptions are not meant torestrict the disclosure to any particular embodiment, but are merelymeant to describe some embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of some embodimentsof the disclosure, reference should be made to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In thedrawings, like reference numbers denote like components, unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D show interposer substrates with reinforcinglayers in a cavity, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 1E and 1F shows a difference in deformation of an upper portionand a lower portion of an interposer substrate with a cavity.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show interposer substrates with reinforcing ringsaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2D shows a bottom view of an interposer substrate with areinforcing ring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 3E show interposer substrates with reinforcingcore layers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show interposer substrates with recesses accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an interposer substrate with a reinforcing insulating layeraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows an interposer substrate with a reinforcing conductive layeraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C show a semiconductor structure with an interposersubstrate according to the embodiments of FIGS. 1A, 2B and 3A.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E and 8F show a fabricating method to form theinterposer substrate of FIG. 1A according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following definitions apply to some of the aspects described withrespect to some embodiments of the disclosure. These definitions maylikewise be expanded upon herein.

As used herein, the singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, forexample, reference to reinforcing layer can include multiple reinforcinglayers unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the term “set” refers to a collection of one or morecomponents. Thus, for example, a set of layers can include a singlelayer or multiple layers. Components of a set also can be referred to asmembers of the set. Components of a set can be the same or different. Insome instances, components of a set can share one or more commoncharacteristics.

As used herein, the term “adjacent” refers to being near or adjoiningAdjacent components can be spaced apart from one another or can be inactual or direct contact with one another. In some instances, adjacentcomponents can be connected to one another or can be formed integrallywith one another.

As used herein, relative terms, such as “inner,” “interior,” “outer,”“exterior,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “upper,” “upwardly,”“lower,” “downwardly,” “vertical,” “vertically,” “lateral,” “laterally,”“above,” and “below,” refer to an orientation of a set of componentswith respect to one another, such as in accordance with the drawings,but do not require a particular orientation of those components duringmanufacturing or use.

As used herein, the terms “connect,” “connected,” and “connection” referto an operational coupling or linking Connected components can bedirectly coupled to one another or can be indirectly coupled to oneanother, such as through another set of components.

As used herein, the terms “electrically conductive” and “electricalconductivity” refer to an ability to transport an electric current.Electrically conductive materials typically correspond to thosematerials that exhibit little or no opposition to flow of an electriccurrent. One measure of electrical conductivity is in terms of Siemensper meter (S/m). Typically, an electrically conductive material is onehaving a conductivity greater than approximately 10⁴ S/m, such as atleast approximately 10⁵ S/m or at least approximately 10⁶ S/m.Electrical conductivity of a material can sometimes vary withtemperature. Unless otherwise specified, electrical conductivity of amaterial is defined at room temperature.

As used herein, the terms “approximately,” “substantially”“substantial,” and “about” refer to a considerable degree or extent.When used in conjunction with an event or circumstance, the terms canrefer to instances in which the event or circumstance occurs preciselyas well as instances in which the event or circumstance occurs to aclose approximation, such as accounting for typical tolerance levels ofthe manufacturing methods described herein. For example, the terms canrefer to less than or equal to ±10%, such as less than or equal to ±5%,less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equalto ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, lessthan or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%. As anotherexample, a first thickness described as “substantially equal” to asecond thickness indicates the difference between the thicknesses isless than or equal to ±10% of the second thickness, such as less than orequal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, lessthan or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%.

Additionally, amounts, ratios, and other numerical values are sometimespresented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that suchrange format is used for convenience and brevity and should beunderstood flexibly to include numerical values explicitly specified aslimits of a range, but also to include all individual numerical valuesor sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical valueand sub-range is explicitly specified.

As used herein, the term “warpage” refers to deformation of thestructure of a substrate which reduces a planarity of one or moresurfaces of the substrate. Magnitude of the warpage may be determined bythe distance between the lowest point of a deformation of the substrateto the highest point of the deformation. Each substrate may have adifferent degree of warpage resulting from a change from roomtemperature (e.g., 25° C.) to reflow temperature (e.g., 260° C.), orfrom reflow temperature to room temperature. Further, warpage may occurwhile the semiconductor substrate stays at a steady temperature, due toa mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) betweendifferent components of the substrate. In other words, two sides of thesubstrate may be subject to different degrees of thermal expansion,resulting in stress effects that cause warpage. Additionally, as theoverall thickness of the semiconductor structure decreases, warpage in asemiconductor structure is more pronounced. Therefore, a solution forpreventing warpage would be beneficial to the semiconductor industry.

Because of the difficulties associated with SoC packaging, there hasbeen a tendency for multiple functional integration technology to movetowards system-in-package (SiP) development. One multiple functionalintegration technology is PoP, a multi-package stacking that aims toreduce the placement and routing areas on a board. In general, warpagecan reach up to several hundred micrometers in a PoP device, which cancause a solder crack at an interconnection between stacked substrates,and thereby dramatically decrease yield. A solution for warpage in PoPpackaging is described in this disclosure.

PoP techniques relate to integrated circuit packaging that combinesvertically discrete logic and memory ball grid array (BGA) packages. Twoor more packages are installed atop each other (i.e. stacked), withinterposer substrates to route signals between the packages. To allowfor higher component density, a PoP semiconductor structure may beformed through alternately stacking semiconductor devices and interposersubstrates. The interposer substrates can be electrically connectedthrough plated through holes (PTH) or conductive vias penetrating theinterposer substrates. To further increase the circuit density of a PoPsemiconductor structure, the interposer substrate may include cavitiesor openings to accommodate flip chips or semiconductor devices. The flipchips or semiconductor devices from adjacent substrates may extend intothe cavities or openings of the interposer substrate, and thus reducethe overall size of the stacked semiconductor structure in a PoP device.

The cavities or openings of the interposer substrate may tend toincrease the warpage of the interposer substrate. The present disclosureprovides an interposer substrate in which warpage is minimized, tomaintain the planarity of the interposer substrate and to reinforce theinterposer substrate.

Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1D, an interposer substrate 10 according to afirst embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in FIG.1A, an interposer substrate 10 includes a core layer 11, a firstconductive layer 12, a second conductive layer 13, a plurality ofconductive vias 141, 142, 143 and 144, a cavity 18 and a reinforcementstructure in the form of a reinforcing layer 19. While one cavity 18 isshown in FIGS. 1A to 1D, more cavities can be included for otherembodiments. The reinforcing layer 19 is illustrated as being ofdifferent thicknesses in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D. In some embodiments, athickness of the reinforcing layer 19 is at least about 6 μm, at leastabout 9 μm, at least about 10 μm, at least about 12 μm, at least about15 μm, at least about 18 μm, or at least about 30 μm, and up to or lessthan a height of cavity 18.

The core layer 11 has a first surface 111 and a second surface 112opposite the first surface 111. The core layer 11 can be formed from adielectric material, such as polyimide, polybenzoxazole,benzocyclobutene, or a combination thereof. The thickness of the corelayer 11 can be in a range of approximately 50 μm to approximately 150μm.

The first conductive layer 12 is formed on the first surface 111 of thecore layer 11, and the second conductive layer 13 is formed on thesecond surface 112 of the core layer 11. The first conductive layer 12and the second conductive layer 13 can be formed from a metal, a metalalloy, a matrix with a metal or a metal alloy dispersed therein oranother suitable electrically conductive material. For example, thefirst conductive layer 12 and the second conductive layer 13 may each beformed from aluminum, copper, titanium or a combination thereof. Thethickness of the conductive layers 12 and 13 can be in a range ofapproximately 10 μm to approximately 30 μm. The conductive vias 141,142, 143 and 144 electrically connect the first conductive layer 12 andthe second conductive layer 13, wherein the first conductive layer 12and the second conductive layer 13 both comprise a plurality of pads andtraces. While four pads 121, 122, 123 and 124 of the first conductivelayer 12 and four pads 131, 132, 133 and 134 of the second conductivelayer 13 are shown in FIG. 1A, it is possible that more, or fewer, padsand traces can be included, such as for routing between other substrateswhile the other substrates and the interposer substrate 10 are stacked.Moreover, although the second conductive layer 13 is illustrated asbeing embedded into the core layer 11, the first conductive layer 12 mayalso be embedded into the core layer 11.

A first insulating layer 15 covers the first conductive layer 12 and thefirst surface 111 of the core layer 11, and a second insulating layer 16covers the second conductive layer 13 and the second surface 112 of thecore layer 11. The first insulating layer 15 includes a plurality ofopenings 171, 172, 173, 174 to expose the respective pads 121, 122, 123and 124. The second insulating layer 16 includes a plurality of openings175, 176, 177 and 178 to expose the respective pads 131, 132, 133 and134. The pads 121, 122, 123, 124, 131, 132, 133 and 134 are exposed forelectrically connecting to other substrates stacked with the interposersubstrate 10. The material of the first and second insulating layers 15and 16 can be non-conductive materials such as, for example, epoxy resinor solder resist.

The cavity 18 is downwardly recessed from the second surface 112 of thecore layer 11. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, cavity 18is approximately centered on the interposer substrate 10 and isperipherally surrounded by the core layer 11. That is, the cavity 18provides an accommodating space for components of the PoP device, such asemiconductor die, a metal layer or a polymer layer. The cavity 18extends to the core layer 11, and the imaginary line where the cavity 18meets the core layer 11 (i.e., along dotted line A-A′ in FIG. 1A)defines an upper portion 113 of the core layer 11 above the line, and alower portion 114 of the core layer 11 below the line.

The CTE of the metal layers (e.g., first conductive layer 12 and secondconductive layer 13) is different from that of the core layer(s) (e.g.,core layer 11). The first conductive layer 12 may comprise traces (notshown) at locations above the cavity on the first surface 11 of the corelayer 11. Hence, the interposer substrate 10 may be subject to warpageafter being heated and then cooled, due to the different CTEs of thetraces of the first conductive layer 12 and the core layer 112. Further,cavity 18 formed in the interposer substrate 10 may itself causewarpage. To address these difficulties, interposer substrate 10 furtherincludes the reinforcing layer 19.

Table 1 shows a variation of warpage for the interposer substrate 10with and without a cavity 18, and without a reinforcing layer 19. Asshown in Table 1, the warpage severity of the interposer substrate 10with the cavity 18 is more than five times the warpage severity of theinterposer substrate without the cavity 18.

TABLE 1 No cavity With cavity Unit First conductive layer thickness 18μm Second conductive layer thickness 18 μm First insulating layerthickness 20 μm Second insulating layer thickness 20 μm Core layer typeNS Core layer thickness 100 μm Height of the cavity — 50 μm Warpage at25° C. −104 −783 μm Warpage at 260° C. 57 77 μm Total warpage 161 860 μmWarpage severity 100 543 %

Further, the amount of shrinkage is related to area, so that the upperportion 113 and the lower portion 114 of the core layer 11 will shrinkby different amounts over the same temperature range when the cavity 18is present. FIGS. 1E and 1F are illustrative. FIG. 1E illustratesshrinkage of the upper portion 113 of the core layer 11 (i.e., theportion not including cavity 18), and FIG. 1F illustrates shrinkage ofthe lower portion 114 of the core layer 11 (i.e., where cavity 18 ispresent). In FIGS. 1E and 1F, shrinkage is indicated by the arrows fromthe dotted line (area at high temperature) to the solid line (area atlow temperature). As can be seen by a comparison of FIGS. 1E and 1F, thearea of upper portion 113 at high temperature is larger than the area ofthe lower portion 114 at high temperature, so that the degree ofshrinkage is larger at the upper portion 113 than at the lower portion114, and the warpage of the substrate will be in a concave shape.

To control the warpage of interposer substrate 10, the interposersubstrate 10 includes a reinforcement structure. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A to 1D, the reinforcement is in the form of a reinforcing layer19 disposed within the cavity 18 and in physical contact with the corelayer 11. The inclusion of the reinforcing layer 19 in the interposersubstrate 10 is to enhance the strength of the structure of theinterposer substrate 10; thus generally the modulus of rigidity of thereinforcing layer 19 is greater than the modulus of rigidity of the corelayer 11 and the insulating layers 15 and 16. In one embodiment, themodulus of rigidity of a reinforcing layer 19 formed from copper can beabout 110 gigaPascals (GPa), and the modulus of rigidity (or Young'smodulus) of a core layer 11 formed from halogen freebismaleimide/triazine (BT) materials (e.g., from Mitsubishi Gas ChemicalCompany, such as GHPL-830NX (NX), GHPL-830 NS (NS) or GHPL-830NSF (NSF))can be about 20 to 40 GPa. Some properties of NX, NS and NSF are shownin Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Prepreg type GHPL-830NX GHPL-830NS GHPL-830NSF CTE (alpha 1)ppm/° C. (60-120° C.) x, y = 14, z = 30 x, y = 10, z = 22 x, y = 3.5, z= 18 CTE (alpha 1) ppm/° C.(240-280° C.) x, y = 5, z = 140 x, y = 3, z =150 x, y = 2, z = 90 Glass transition (° C.) Tg (TMA) TMA 200 TMA 230TMA 270 Young's modulus (Gpa) 28 27 34

Generally, the material of the reinforcing layer 19 can be a metal orpolymer whose modulus of rigidity is greater than the modulus ofrigidity of the core layer 11 and the insulating layers 15 and 16. Forexample, the modulus of rigidity of the material of the reinforcinglayer 19 can be at least about 50 GPa, at least about 60 GPa, at leastabout 70 GPa, at least about 80 GPa, at least about 90 GPa, at leastabout 100 GPa, or at least about 110 GPa. Because the reinforcing layer19 within the cavity 18 of the interposer substrate 10 provides therigidity at the center area of the core layer 11, and constrains thedisplacement of the lower portion 114 caused by the shrinkage of thecore layer 11 when the temperature changes from high to low, the upperportion 113 with larger degree of shrinkage will not deform the lowerportion 114 of the core layer 11. That is to say, warpage of the corelayer 11 is reduced due to the existence of the reinforcing layer 19.

Tables 3a to 3d below show variation of the warpage of the interposersubstrate 10 with different thicknesses of reinforcing layers within thecavity.

As can be seen in Table 3a, for core layer type NS and a cavity 18height of 18 μm, as the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 increasesfrom 0 to 18 μm, the warpage severity of the interposer substrate 10decreases by approximately 92% (i.e., from 100% to 8%).

TABLE 3a GHPL-830NS core layer type 3a1 3a2 3a3 3a4 3a5 Unit Firstconductive 18 μm layer thickness Second conductive 18 μm layer thicknessFirst insulating 10 μm layer thickness Second insulating 30 μm layerthickness Core layer type NS Core layer thickness 60 μm Height of thecavity 18 μm Reinforcing layer 0 6 9 12 18 μm thickness Warpage at 25°C. −445 −176 −125 −97 −86 μm Warpage at 260° C. 109 −9 −22 −32 −42 μmTotal warpage 554 167 103 65 44 μm Warpage severity 100 30 19 12 8 %

As shown in Table 3a, column 3a2 (e.g., FIG. 1B), when the thickness ofthe reinforcing layer 19 occupies one third of the height of the cavity18, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 70%. As shown inTable 3a, column 3a3 (e.g., FIG. 1D), when the thickness of thereinforcing layer 19 occupies about half of the height of the cavity 18,the warpage severity decreases by 81%. As shown in Table 3a, column 3a4(e.g., FIG. 1A), when the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 occupiesabout two thirds of the height of the cavity 18, the warpage severitydecreases by 88%. As shown in Table 3a, column 3a5 (e.g., FIG. 1C), whenthe thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 completely occupies the heightof the cavity 18, the warpage severity decreases by 92%. As can be seen,when the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 is equal to the cavity 18height, there is minimum warpage; however, if the cavity 18 is filledwith the reinforcing layer 19, there is no space to accommodate anothercomponent of the PoP device. Therefore, there is trade-off betweenwarpage severity and accommodating space.

As can be seen in Table 3b, for core layer type NX and a cavity 18height of 18 μm, as the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 increasesfrom 0 to 18 μm, the warpage severity of the interposer substrate 10decreases by approximately 88%. The difference between Table 3a andTable 3b lies in that the materials of the core layers are different:because the CTE of NX is greater than the CTE of NS, it is moredifficult to compensate the imbalance of the NX type core layer. Athicker reinforcing layer 19 may be used to achieve the sameminimization of warpage severity for the NX type.

TABLE 3b GHPL-830NX core layer type 3b1 3b2 3b3 3b4 3b5 Unit Firstconductive 18 μm layer thickness Second conductive 18 μm layer thicknessFirst insulating 10 μm layer thickness Second insulating 30 μm layerthickness Core layer type NX Core layer thickness 60 μm Height of thecavity 18 μm Reinforcing layer 0 6 9 12 18 μm thickness Warpage at 25°C. −289 −147 −137 −130 −122 μm Warpage at 260° C. 166 −12 −33 −49 −66 μmTotal warpage 455 135 104 81 56 μm Warpage severity 100 30 23 18 12 %

As can be seen in Table 3c, for a cavity 18 height of 30 μm and a corelayer type NS, when the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 increasesfrom 0 to 30 μm, the warpage severity of the interposer substrate 10decreases by approximately 88%. Because the height of the cavity inTable 3c is larger than the height of the cavity in Table 3a, while thetotal thickness of the core layer 11 remains the same (60 μm), it ismore difficult to compensate the imbalance of the core layer 11. Thus, athicker reinforcing layer 19 may be used to achieve the sameminimization of warpage severity.

TABLE 3c GHPL-830NS core layer type 3c1 3c2 3c3 3c4 Unit Firstconductive layer thickness 18 μm Second conductive layer thickness 18 μmFirst insulating layer thickness 10 μm Second insulating layer thickness30 μm Core layer type NS Core layer thickness 60 μm Height of the cavity30 μm Reinforcing layer thickness 0 10 15 30 μm Warpage at 25° C. −367−134 −101 −94 μm Warpage at 260° C. 80 −20 −30 −40 μm Total warpage 447114 71 54 μm Warpage severity 100 26 16 12 %

As can be seen in Table 3d, for a cavity 18 height of 30 μm and a corelayer type NX, when the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 increasesfrom 0 to 30 μm, the warpage severity of the interposer substrate 10decreases by approximately 88%.

TABLE 3d GHPL-830NX core layer type 3d1 3d2 3d3 3d4 Unit Firstconductive layer thickness 18 μm Second conductive layer thickness 18 μmFirst insulating layer thickness 10 μm Second insulating layer thickness30 μm Core layer type NX Core layer thickness 60 μm Height of the cavity30 μm Reinforcing layer thickness 0 10 15 30 μm Warpage at 25° C. −301−146 −136 −114 μm Warpage at 260° C. 128 −33 −47 −64 μm Total warpage429 113 89 50 μm Warpage severity 100 26 21 12 %

As seen in Tables 3a-3d, warpage of the interposer substrate 10decreases when the thickness of the reinforcing layer 19 increases.

Referring to FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C, cross-sectional views of a secondembodiment of the present disclosure are shown. To control the warpageof an interposer substrate 20, the interposer substrate 20 includes areinforcement structure in the form of a ring 211. The material of thering can be selected from materials whose modulus of rigidity is greaterthan the core layer 11 and the insulating layers 15 and 16, such ascopper or aluminum. The core layer 11 has a first surface 111 and asecond surface 112 opposite the first surface 111. As shown in FIG. 2A,the ring 211 is formed on the first surface 111. The ring may beadditionally or alternatively formed on the second surface 112. Forexample, in FIG. 2B, a ring 212 is formed on the second surface 112.Further, the ring 211 may be embedded into the core layer 11. Forexample, in FIG. 2C, a ring 213 is formed adjacent to the second surface112 and embedded in the core layer 11.

FIG. 2D shows a bottom view (perspective view) of the interposersubstrate 20 with a ring 21. By way of explanation, FIGS. 2A to 2C arecross-sectional views of the interposer substrate 20 taken along a lineBB′ as shown in FIG. 2D, and ring 21 corresponds to ring 211, 212 or 213in FIGS. 2A to 2C. As can be seen in FIG. 2D, the ring 21 is formedaround the cavity 18 so as to control the deformation caused by thecavity 18.

Table 4a shows variation of the warpage of the interposer substrate 20with different locations of the ring 21 (e.g., rings 211, 212, 213). Thering 21 provides the rigidity of the core layer 11, particularly therigidity of the peripheral portion of the core layer 11, to resist theshrinkage of the core layer 11 at different locations in the interposersubstrate 20 when the temperature changes from high to low. As shown inTable 4a, column 4a2 (e.g., FIG. 2A), when a ring 211 is formed on thefirst surface 111, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 33%.As shown in Table 4a, column 4a3 (e.g., FIG. 2C), when a ring 213 isformed adjacent to the second surface 112 and embedded into the corelayer 11, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 27%. As shownin Table 4a, column 4a4 (e.g., FIG. 2B), when a ring 212 is formed onthe second surface 112, the warpage severity decreases by approximately38%. Therefore, when the location of the ring 21 moves closer to thesecond surface 112, the warpage severity of the interposer substrate 20decreases.

TABLE 4a 4a1 4a2 4a3 4a4 Unit First conductive layer thickness 18 μmSecond conductive layer thickness 18 μm First insulating layer thickness10 μm Second insulating layer thickness 30 μm Core layer type NX Corelayer thickness 60 μm Height of the cavity 18 μm Location of the ring NoFirst Embed- Second ring surface ded surface Warpage at 25° C. −289 −201−192 −108 μm Warpage at 260° C. 166 104 140 173 μm Total warpage 455 305332 281 μm Warpage severity 100 67 73 62 %

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2D, the ring 21 is locatedadjacent to a peripheral edge of the core layer 11; however, the ring 21may be positioned differently.

Referring to FIG. 3A through FIG. 3E, cross-sectional views of a thirdembodiment of the present disclosure are shown. In this embodiment, corelayer 11 is a first of two core layers, where the reinforcementstructure is a second core layer 311 below and in contact with the firstcore layer 11 in an interposer substrate 30. The material of the secondcore layer 311 can be selected from materials whose modulus of rigidityand glass transition temperature are greater than the first core layer11 and the insulating layers 15 and 16. For example, the material of thefirst core layer may be NX and the material of the second core layer maybe NS. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3A, the thickness of thesecond core layer 311 is approximately the same as that of the secondconductive layer 13. In other embodiments, the thickness of the secondcore layer 311 may be smaller or greater than the thickness of thesecond conductive layer 13. For example, in FIG. 3B, the thickness ofthe second core layer 312 is illustrated as being less than that of thesecond conductive layer 13, whereas in FIGS. 3C, 3D and 3E, thethickness of the second core layer 313 is illustrated as being greaterthan the thickness of the second conductive layer 13.

Tables 5a and 5b show variation of the warpage of the interposersubstrate 30 for different thickness ratios between the first core layer11 and the second core layer 311. The height of the cavities in FIGS. 3Ato 3E is 18 μm. As shown in Table 5a, column 5a2 (e.g., FIG. 3B), when athickness of the first core layer is 45 μm and a thickness of the secondcore layer is 15 μm, the warpage severity decreases by approximately32%. As shown in Table 5a, column 5a3 (e.g., FIG. 3A), when a thicknessof the first core layer 11 is 42 μm and a thickness of the second corelayer 311 is 18 μm, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 33%.As shown in Table 5a, column 5a4 (e.g., FIG. 3C), when a thickness ofthe first core layer 11 is 39 μm and a thickness of the second corelayer 311 is 21 μm, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 13%.

TABLE 5a 5a1 5a2 5a3 5a4 Unit First conductive layer thickness 18 μmSecond conductive layer thickness 18 μm First insulating layer thickness10 μm Second insulating layer thickness 30 μm Core layer type NX/NSFCore layer thickness 60 μm First/Second core layer thickness — 45/1542/18 39/21 μm Height of the cavity 18 μm Warpage at 25° C. −445 −206−205 −309 μm Warpage at 260° C. 109 169 167 175 μm Total warpage 554 375372 484 μm Warpage severity 100 68 67 87 %

As shown in Table 5b, column 5b2 (e.g., FIG. 3D), when a thickness ofthe first core layer 11 is 35 μm and a thickness of the second corelayer 311 is 25 μm, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 25%.As shown in Table 5b, column 5b3 (e.g., FIG. 3E), when a thickness ofthe first core layer 11 is 30 μm and a thickness of the second corelayer 311 is 30 μm, the warpage severity decreases by approximately 22%.

TABLE 5b 5b1 5b2 5b3 Unit First conductive layer thickness 18 μm Secondconductive layer thickness 18 μm First insulating layer thickness 10 μmSecond insulating layer thickness 30 μm Core layer type NX/NSF Corelayer thickness 60 μm First/Second core layer thickness — 35/25 30/30 μmHeight of the cavity 30 μm Warpage at 25° C. −367 −206 −214 μm Warpageat 260° C. 80 131 132 μm Total warpage 447 337 346 μm Warpage severity100 75 78 %

As can be seen, when a thickness of the first core layer 11 is 42 μm anda thickness of the second core layer 311 is 18 μm, which issubstantially the same as the height of the cavity 18, the warpage ofthe interposer substrate is minimized. That is, increasing the thicknessof the second core layer 311 greater than the height of the cavity 18may lead to deformation of the second core layer 311, and thus thewarpage severity increases. Therefore, the thickness of the second corelayer 311 should be carefully controlled. A second core layer 311 with ahigher modulus of rigidity can resist the deformation of the first corelayer 11 with a lower modulus of rigidity. Additionally, a second corelayer 311 with a higher glass transition temperature is less sensitiveto a variance of temperature than a first core layer 11 with a lowerglass transition temperature.

Referring to FIG. 4A through FIG. 4C, cross-sectional views of a fourthembodiment of the present disclosure are shown. Similar to theembodiment of FIGS. 1A to 1D, the interposer substrate 40 includes areinforcement structure in the form of a reinforcing layer 19 within acavity 18. The interposer substrate 40 further includes anotherreinforcement structure in the form of a recess 411 formed in the firstinsulating layer 15 at a location above the cavity 18, wherein the sizeof the recess 411 is not greater than the size of the cavity 18. In theembodiment of FIG. 4A, the recess 411 is deep enough such that the firstcore layer 11 is partially exposed in the recess 411. In contrast, inFIG. 4B, the first core layer 11 is not exposed in a recess 412. Therecess 411 shown in FIG. 4A may include one or more traces for routing,shown as traces 421 and 422 in the recess 413 of FIG. 4C.

Table 6a shows variation of the warpage of the interposer substrate 40with and without a recess 411 formed in the first insulating layer 15. Atotal warpage of an interposer substrate with a cavity 18 is 455 μm(column 6a1). As was shown in Table 4a, column 4a2 (reproduced in column6a2), when a ring 211 for reinforcing is formed on the first surface111, the total warpage of an interposer substrate is 305 μm. By furtherintroducing a recess 411 in the first insulating layer 15, the totalwarpage of the interposer substrate 40 becomes 146 μm (column 6a3). Aswas shown in Table 4a, column 4a4 (reproduced in column 6a4), when aring 212 for reinforcing is formed on the second surface 112, the totalwarpage of an interposer substrate is 281 μm. By further introducing arecess 411 in the first insulating layer 15, the total warpage of aninterposer substrate becomes 106 μm (column 6a5). As was shown in Table5a, column 5a3 (reproduced in column 6a6), when a second core layer 311for reinforcing is introduced in contact with the first core layer 11 inthe interposer substrate 30, the total warpage of an interposersubstrate is 372 μm. By further introducing a recess 411 in the firstinsulating layer 15, the total warpage of an interposer substrate 40becomes 228 μm (column 6a7).

TABLE 6a 6a1 6a2 6a3 6a4 6a5 6a6 6a7 Unit First conductive 18 μm layerthickness Second conductive 18 μm layer thickness First insulating 10 μmlayer thickness Second insulating 30 μm layer thickness Core layer typeNX NX/NSF Core layer thickness 60 μm Height of the cavity 18 μm Locationof ring No First First Second Second No No ring surface surface surfacesurface ring ring Recess No No Yes No Yes No Yes Warpage at 25° C. −289−201 −52 −108 50 −205 −98 μm Warpage at 260° C. 166 104 94 173 156 167130 μm Total warpage 455 305 146 281 106 372 228 μm Warpage severity 10067 32 62 23 82 50 %

As seen by the results in Table 6, introducing a recess 411 in the firstinsulating layer significantly reduces warpage: as the area of the upperportion of the core layer 11 is reduced, the degree of shrinkage towardthe center of the core layer is also reduced. Additionally, one or moretraces 421 and 422 (e.g., FIG. 4C), which are formed with materials withhigher modulus of rigidity than the first insulating layer 15, can beformed above the cavity 18 to increase the rigidity of the upper portionof the core layer 11, further reducing warpage as the temperaturevaries.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of thepresent disclosure is shown. To control the warpage of an interposersubstrate 50, a ratio of a thickness of the first insulating layer 15 toa thickness of the second insulating layer 16 is controlled to be lessthan one. The shrinkage occurring in the first insulating layer 15 andthe second insulating layer 16 with different thicknesses compensatesfor the shrinkage of the core layer 11.

Referring to FIG. 6, a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of thepresent disclosure is shown. To control the warpage of an interposersubstrate 60, a ratio of a thickness of the first conductive layer 12 toa thickness of the second conductive layer 13 is controlled to be lessthan one. The second conductive layer 13 with a greater thicknessprovides rigidity to resist deformation caused by the imbalanced designof the interposer substrate with a cavity 18.

Table 7a shows variation of the warpage of interposer substrates such asthe interposer substrates 50 (FIG. 5) and 60 (FIG. 6), with variation ofthe ratio of the thickness of the first insulating layer 15 to thethickness of the second insulating layer 16, variation of the ratio ofthe thickness of the first conductive layer 12 to the thickness of thesecond conductive layer 13, and variation of the material of the corelayer 11. As shown in Table 7a, column 7a1, when thicknesses of thefirst conductive layer 12 and the second conductive layer 13 are both 18μm, and thicknesses of the first insulating layer 15 and the secondinsulating layer 16 are both 20 μm, the total warpage of an interposersubstrate is 1297 μm. As shown in Table 7a, column 7a2 (e.g., FIG. 5),when a thickness of the first insulating layer 15 is 10 μm and athickness of the second insulating layer 16 is 30 μm, the total warpageof the interposer substrate becomes 554 μm. Further, by changing thematerial of the core layer 11 from NS to NX, the total warpage of theinterposer substrate can be reduced to 455 μm (column 7a3).Additionally, by changing a thickness of the first conductive layer 12to 16 μm and changing a thickness of the second conductive layer 13 to25 μm (e.g., FIG. 6), the total warpage of the interposer substrate canbe further reduced to 346 μm (column 7a4).

As seen by the results in Table 7a, the warpage severity reduces whenthe ratio of a thickness of the first insulating layer 15 to a thicknessof the second insulating layer 16 is controlled to less than one, whenthe ratio of a thickness of the first conductive layer 12 to a thicknessof the second conductive layer 13 is controlled to less than one, orwhen the material of core layer 11 is changed from NS to NX.

TABLE 7a 7-1 7-2 7-3 7-4 Unit First conductive layer thickness 18 18 1816 μm Second conductive layer thickness 18 18 18 25 μm First insulatinglayer thickness 20 10 10 10 μm Second insulating layer thickness 20 3030 30 μm Core layer type NS NX Core layer thickness 60 μm Height of thecavity 18 μm Warpage at 25° C. −1191 −445 −289 −278 μm Warpage at 260°C. 106 109 166 149 μm Total warpage 1297 554 455 346 μm Warpage severity100 68 67 87 %

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C show semiconductor structures that includewarpage-reducing interposer substrates in accordance with thisdisclosure. In FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C, each of semiconductor structures100, 200 and 300 comprises: a base substrate 72 having a first surface721 including a plurality of base substrate pads 731, 732, 733 and 734formed thereon; an interposer substrate 10 comprising: a first corelayer 11, a first conductive layer 12 on a first side of the interposersubstrate 10 and comprising a plurality of first pads 121, 122, 123 and124; a second conductive layer 13 on a second side of the interposersubstrate 10 and comprising a plurality of second pads 131, 132, 133 and134, a plurality of conductive vias 141, 142, 143 and 144 electricallyconnecting the first conductive layer 12 and the second conductive layer13, a cavity 18 formed in the interposer substrate 10, and areinforcement structure for the interposer substrate 10. At least one ofthe first pads 121, 122, 123 and 124 or second pads 131, 132, 133 and134 is electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of basesubstrate pads 731, 732, 733 and 734. A semiconductor device 71 ispositioned generally within the cavity 18 between the base substrate 72and the interposer substrate 10.

The reinforcement structure for the interposer substrate 10 may be areinforcing layer 19 disposed within the cavity 18 and physically incontact with the core layer 11 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Such a reinforcing layer 19 is illustrated in FIG.7A, and may be implemented as described with respect to FIGS. 1A to 1D.

The reinforcement structure for the interposer substrate 10 may be aring 212 in the interposer substrate 20 in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure. Such a ring 212 is illustrated inFIG. 7B, and may be implemented as described with respect to FIG. 2B. Inother embodiments, a ring 211 (e.g., FIG. 2A) or a ring 213 (e.g., FIG.2C) may be additionally or alternatively be implemented.

The reinforcement structure for the interposer substrate 10 may be asecond core layer 311 below and in contact with the first core layer 11in the interposer substrate 30 in accordance with another embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Such a second core layer 311 is illustrated inFIG. 7C, and may be implemented as described with respect to FIG. 3A.

FIG. 8A through FIG. 8F shows a fabricating method to form theinterposer substrate 10 of FIG. 1. As indicated in FIG. 8A, a carrier 81is provided and a metal layer 130 is positioned on a top surface of thecarrier 81. As indicated in FIG. 8B, a protrusion 19 and a conductivelayer 13 (i.e., the second conductive layer 13) may be formed on themetal layer 130, for example by a plating technique. As shown in FIGS.8C-8D, a core layer 11 with a metal layer 120 thereon is formed on theprotrusion 19 and the carrier 81 so that the protrusion 19 and theconductive layer 13 are embedded in the core layer. In an embodiment,the core layer 11 may contain two or more sub core layers. In oneembodiment, the core layer 11 comprises a first sub core layer and asecond sub core layer, wherein the ratio of the modulus of rigidity ofthe first sub core layer to the modulus of rigidity of the second subcore layer is less than one.

In FIG. 8D, another conductive layer 12 (i.e., the first conductivelayer 12) and the conductive vias 141, 142, 143 and 144 are formed, forexample by a pattern plating technique. The conductive vias 141, 142,143 and 144 electrically connect the conductive layer 13 and theconductive layer 12. As shown in FIG. 8E, the carrier 81 and the metallayer 130 are removed to expose the conductive layer 13 and theprotrusion 19. In FIG. 8F, masking and etching is performed, and theprotrusion 19 is partially etched to form enough height for the cavity18. An insulating layer 16 (i.e., the second insulation layer 16) isformed to cover most of the conductive layer 13, wherein one or moreopenings 175, 176, 177 and 178 of the insulating layer 16 are formed toexpose the pads 131, 132, 133 and 134 of the conductive layer 13.Similarly, another insulating layer 15 (i.e., the first insulating layer15) is formed to cover most of the conductive layer 12, wherein one ormore openings 171, 172, 173 and 174 of the insulating layer 15 areformed to expose the pads 121, 122, 123 and 124 of the conductive layer12. The interposer substrate of FIG. 1A is then formed.

An interposer substrate (e.g., interposer substrates 10, 20, 30, 40, 50or 60) may include a combination of reinforcement structures. Forexample, an interposer substrate may include one or more of a ring(e.g., ring 21 of FIG. 2D), a second core layer (e.g., second core layer311 of FIGS. 3A-3D) and a recess (e.g., recess 411 of FIGS. 4A-4C) inaddition to a reinforcement layer 19. Further, maintaining the ratio ofa thickness of the first insulating layer 15 to a thickness of thesecond insulating layer 16 less than one (e.g., FIG. 5) may be appliedto any of the embodiments, and maintaining a ratio of a thickness of thefirst conductive layer 12 to a thickness of the second conductive layer13 less than one (e.g., FIG. 6) may be applied to any of theembodiments.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to the specificembodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes may be made and equivalents may be substitutedwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims. In addition, many modifications may bemade to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter,method, or process to the objective, spirit and scope of the disclosure.All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claimsappended hereto. In particular, while the methods disclosed herein havebeen described with reference to particular operations performed in aparticular order, it will be understood that these operations may becombined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent methodwithout departing from the teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly,unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of theoperations are not limitations of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An interposer substrate, comprising: a first corelayer; a first conductive layer on a first side of the interposersubstrate and comprising a plurality of first pads; a second conductivelayer on a second side of the interposer substrate and comprising aplurality of second pads, wherein the second side of the interposersubstrate is opposite the first side of the interposer substrate; aplurality of conductive vias electrically connecting the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer; and a reinforcementstructure in the interposer substrate; wherein the interposer substratedefines a cavity.
 2. The interposer substrate according to claim 1,wherein the reinforcement structure is a reinforcing layer formed insidethe cavity and in contact with the first core layer.
 3. The interposersubstrate according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing layer comprisesa metal or a polymer.
 4. The interposer substrate according to claim 2,wherein a thickness of the reinforcing layer is less than or equal to adepth of the cavity.
 5. The interposer substrate according to claim 1,wherein the reinforcement structure is a ring formed around the cavity.6. The interposer substrate according to claim 5, further comprising afirst insulating layer on the first side of the interposer substrate. 7.The interposer substrate according to claim 6, wherein the ring isembedded in the first insulating layer.
 8. The interposer substrateaccording to claim 6, further comprising a second insulating layer onthe second side of the interposer substrate, wherein the ring isembedded in the second insulating layer.
 9. The interposer substrateaccording to claim 5, wherein the ring is embedded in the first corelayer.
 10. The interposer substrate according to claim 1, wherein thereinforcement structure is a second core layer adjacent to the firstcore layer, wherein a ratio of the modulus of rigidity of the first corelayer to the modulus of rigidity of the second core layer is less thanone, and the second core layer and the cavity are on the same side ofthe interposer substrate.
 11. The interposer substrate according toclaim 10, wherein a thickness of the second conductive layer issubstantially equal to a thickness of the second core layer.
 12. Theinterposer substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a firstinsulating layer on the first side of the interposer substrate and asecond insulating layer on the second side of the interposer substrate,wherein the first insulating layer defines a recess at a locationcorresponding to the cavity, wherein a size of the recess is not greaterthan a size of the cavity, and the recess and the cavity are ondifferent sides of the interposer substrate.
 13. The cavity interposersubstrate according to claim 12, wherein the first core layer ispartially exposed in the recess.
 14. The interposer substrate accordingto claim 1, further comprising a first insulating layer on the firstside of the interposer substrate and a second insulating layer on thesecond side of the interposer substrate, wherein the second insulatinglayer and the cavity are on the same side of the interposer substrate,and a ratio of a thickness of the first insulating layer to a thicknessof the second insulating layer is less than one.
 15. The interposersubstrate according to claim 1, wherein the second conductive layer andthe cavity are on the same side of the interposer substrate and a ratioof a thickness of the first conductive layer to a thickness of thesecond conductive layer is less than one.
 16. The interposer substrateaccording to claim 1, wherein the second conductive layer and the cavityare on the same side of the interposer substrate, and the secondconductive layer is embedded in the first core layer.
 17. Asemiconductor structure comprising: a base substrate having a firstsurface including a plurality of base substrate pads thereon; aninterposer substrate comprising: a first core layer, a first conductivelayer on a first side of the interposer substrate and comprising aplurality of first pads, a second conductive layer on a second side ofthe interposer substrate and comprising a plurality of second pads, aplurality of conductive vias electrically connecting the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer, and a reinforcementstructure in the interposer substrate, wherein the interposer substratedefines a cavity; and wherein at least one of the first and the secondpads is electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of basesubstrate pads; and a semiconductor device positioned at least partiallywithin the cavity between the base substrate and the interposersubstrate.
 18. The semiconductor structure according to claim 17,wherein the reinforcement structure is a reinforcing layer formed insidethe cavity and in contact with the first core layer.
 19. Thesemiconductor structure according to claim 17, wherein the reinforcementstructure is a ring formed around the cavity.
 20. The semiconductorstructure according to claim 17, wherein the reinforcement structure isa second core layer adjacent to the first core layer, wherein a ratio ofthe modulus of rigidity of the first core layer to the modulus ofrigidity of the second core layer is less than one, and the second corelayer and the cavity are on the same side of the interposer substrate.21. A substrate, comprising: a core layer, the core layer defining anaccommodating cavity; a first conductive layer disposed on a firstsurface of the core layer; a second conductive layer embedded in thecore layer and exposed at a second surface of the core layer; aconductive via electrically connecting the first conductive layer withthe second conductive layer; a first insulating layer disposed over thecore layer and the first conductive layer, the first insulating layerexposing portions of the first conductive layer; a second insulatinglayer disposed over the core layer and exposing portions of the secondconductive layer; and a reinforcing structure configured to reducewarpage of the substrate.
 22. The substrate of claim 21, wherein thereinforcing structure comprises a reinforcing layer disposed on the corelayer within the cavity.
 23. The substrate of claim 21, wherein thereinforcing structure comprises a ring structure.
 24. The substrate ofclaim 21, wherein the core layer comprises a first core layer and asecond core layer, the first core layer and the second core layercomprising different materials, and wherein the reinforcing structurecomprises the second core layer.